Berkeley Police investigate gunshot at Ed Roberts Campus

The Ed Roberts Campus near the Ashby BART station has been locked and closed for the day following a report of a gunshot inside one of the building’s public restrooms.

A sign on the doors as of about 3:15 p.m. informed people that the campus, at 3075 Adeline St., will re-open tomorrow. Those inside will be able to leave but people not on campus have been emailed not to come to the site.

According to a Berkeley Police Department statement released at 3:18 p.m., “On November 29, 2012 at approximately 12:41 PM, BPD received a report of a gunshot heard inside the bathroom of Ed Roberts Campus at 3075 Adeline Street in Berkeley. Several employees from the facility called BPD. BPD officers quickly arrived on scene and checked the bathrooms. Officers determined the bathrooms were clear and located evidence that a shooting had occurred inside. Teams of BPD officers conducted a thorough search of the facilities to ensure the occupants safety, and to check for a possible victim or responsible. A victim was not located and local hospitals have been notified. The BPD Crime Scene Unit was called to process the scene and officers are actively speaking with potential witnesses to the incident.”

A bullet struck the door on the left, from the inside, in a public restroom at the Ed Roberts Campus, Nov. 29, 2012. Photo: Emilie Raguso

A building representative at the Ed Roberts campus said the incident appeared to have been an accident, and that a gun may have gone off when someone was pulling up his or her drawers in the bathroom.

Click to view larger.

The bullet went into the door in one of the building’s bathrooms, which is a single unit open to any gender. The bullet left a deep indentation in the door but did not go all the way through.

Dmitri Belser, campus president, said he sent an email to staff telling them there had been a shot fired in the first floor bathroom, but it appears it may have been accidental. Someone had a gun and fired it and put a hole in the door, but there was no evidence anyone was hurt.

He said, via email, that police are investigating and reviewing security tapes to see if they can identify anyone that was involved.

“That’s really all we know at present,” Belser said. “We’re putting the building on heightened security, but we don’t really believe this was an incident where someone was attempting to injure someone else.”

Located at the Ashby BART station in South Berkeley, the Ed Roberts Campus is a nonprofit corporation formed by disability organizations to build a universally designed, transit–oriented campus. The site houses the offices of collaborating organizations as well as fully accessible meeting rooms, a computer/media resource center, a fitness center, a cafe, and a child development center.